About half full today. What a Sunday to have dry fonts! We happy few sang Scarlatti's Justitiae Domini as planned, with me the sole alto and my wife, whose church has an earlier schedule, the sole soprano. Now we suddenly seem to be a men's schola I'm fixing my eyes on Intellectum tibi dabo for next week and la Rue's Miserere for Lent V.

Don,

I get the impression that someone else programmed Deep Within? What did this person hope that it would reflect, given that he chose it as a Reflection hymn?

And now non-essential gatherings of more than 25 people in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will largely be banned at least until April 7th.

And (regarding the "non-essential" bans), the liturgy is essential or non-essential? Apparently the church says "non-essential". Interesting. Not "we will provide very low, fast masses (no homily, music, processions) for monitored small crowds" and/or we will disinfect the pews in between. This is the time for "Father 20-minute Mass" to shine! No plan for continuing Mass in a time of crisis, just "OK - gatherings are banned, therefore no more masses!" It is truly incredible how fast the church has unquestioningly run, not walked, in many places to discard her liturgies at the first hint from the state. Now there is a race to see who can cancel the Triduum the fastest.

There is an enormous amount of intellectual work that needs to be done regarding all these questions, because clearly after 2000 years of thought we are completely unprepared. E.g. all this is couched in protecting the vulnerable, which is a true and good motivation. But the question is how to balance that truth with other truths, such as the centrality of faith and the sacraments. Every year tens of thousands die during flu season, but the church never curtails liturgies to protect those vulnerable. Where is the line? I'm not saying I know, but I am saying that we were philosophically unprepared to face this.

Anyway, here in Sioux Falls I have given the choirs time off for at least the next 1-2 weeks to watch for developments. Ironically, that means more people handle hymnals now :) I could see us going to Mass without music for that reason.
We had organ/cantor at all our regularly scheduled masses this weekend, with certainly a 1/4-1/3 drop off in crowds but by no means an empty church. No plans to cancel any Masses or confession times at the cathedral (and I have to say, I'm proud of that), but the bishop has lifted the Sunday Mass obligation. We will see if things calm down, or get worse over the next weeks.

You have to keep in mind Covid-19 has an order of magnitude greater death rate than seasonal flu, and sends 5% of those infected to the ICU. In Québec there’s an average of just over 11 ICU beds per 100k population. Just a 1% infection rate would totally overwhelm our ICU capacity, leaving no room for heart attacks or car crashes or other crises.

Ora

Look on YouTube for the Italian air force, not only creating vapour trails of the Italian flag (red, white green) but also reverently taking the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of Our Lady of Fatima into the skies to bless their country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JABBv1wUzUI
I have to say I can't see the RAF following suit.
Meanwhile,try this

Earl Grey,

It's almost time for the monthly novena to the Infant Jesus of Prague.

In the Diocese of Tyler - no Sign of Peace, no Communion Cup, no non-liturgical gatherings. In addition, our Pastor removed all the missals & hymnals from the pews.

I hear emergency services are overwhelmed by Trads who had to receive communion in the hand yesterday. They tell me some of them are still gasping for air.

This is what we will be doing if anyone cares to know what is going on in our corner of the Southeast.

Friday, March 20, 6:15 p.m.

There will be a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament around Holy Ghost Church, the Rectory, and the original Church, ending back inside Holy Ghost Church. The Procession is for protection and end to the coronavirus. Please plan to join us. This is a very important event.

We ask any who are unable to be physically present (continue to observe health precautions) to join in fervent prayer at that time. Stations of the Cross will follow.

In times of uncertainty and anxiety, where else would we turn but to Our Lord?!

"My Jesus I Trust in You."

Here in the center of the California crisis, we've just been issued a shelter in place order, until April 7th. Necessary travel only. Violation is a misdemeanor.

I count Sunday Mass as necessary activity, even if I have to drive an hour each way to get there. The county may see things differently.

How appropriate that St. Patrick's feast day is the beginning of the order: he who drove the snakes from Ireland and who walked unharmed to the meeting with his chieftains will be pushed aside (in a diocese where he is one of the patrons) in the name of public safety and health.

St Patrick, pray for us.

If you don't already have a copy of the Lorica of ST Patrick, get one. Pray it every day until this stupid fuss is behind us.

The economic fallout is going to be painful for people here (Brazil) who work for hourly or daily wages, or work off the books (selling snacks on the street, etc). Extra generosity in the community will be sorely needed.

Aha! The bishop has just dispensed us all from Mass, but Masses will continue and people are free to assist in person or via internet/TV, (while please respecting the city's request to avoid crowding). He asks that we take advantage of this Lent to pray for those afflicted by the virus.

I know that coincidence does not imply correlation, but I would like to point a few things out that I think are surprisingly coincidental.

1. The Vatican and Communist China signed a secret accord, and the persecuted Church in China became even more persecuted. Thus far, the two countries hit hardest by COVID-19 are China and Italy.

2. The third secret of Fatima describes "a bishop in white ... we had the impression he was the holy father". Without making any conclusions but simply pointing out the obvious, we presently have a bishop in white who is not the current Pope.

3. Our Lord himself warns of an abomination of desolation. Even if it was not *the* abomination of desolation, certain idolatrous acts at the Amazon Synod took place in the very Basilica of St. Peter last fall, not long before COVID-19 was first observed.

4. Our Lady of Akita warned that we would see bishops opposing bishops and cardinals opposing cardinals. We have seen that at various synods and with the dubia. Later, after speaking of a terrible chastisement of fire from heaven, she adds: "The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son."

It is on this final point that I am particularly affected. Where I am, we have exactly two semi-public acts of worship available to us in our parish presently: Rosaries that are being coordinated and spread out on certain days to avoid crowds and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament (occasionally exposed), again in a way which avoids crowds. This is, for me, very sobering.

I'm not sure what local jurisdiction Chris lives under, but you can read the March 16 California state directive for yourselves and then decide if driving to an (unspecified) other diocese that hasn't yet cancelled Masses is actually a misdemeanor or not. As anyone can verify on the internet (for what that's worth), Mark Twain might never have said “A Lie Can Travel Halfway Around the World While the Truth Is Putting On Its Shoes”

If you're a Latin-rite Catholic and your bishop has dispensed the faithful from the Sunday obligation, then attending is not an absolute necessity.

If you happen to live close to an Eastern-rite parish, it might be worthwhile finding out if they are still open. Several jurisdictions are still offering liturgy, and some are leaving it up to pastors to cancel or not, at their discretion. OTOH, weekday events are probably smaller and safer than any Sunday liturgies offered.

Good point. That website's list of instructions about social distancing is not mentioned in the executive order. It's presented on the page as steps that people are told they "should" do.

Or is there some other document issued for CGZ's area that is more severe?

And indeed misinformation, including unintentional misinformation, does travel faster than what is factual.

Some interesting news,
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf

So these social distancing measures, need to be in place for at least 3 months, maybe 5 months! Also any lock down may not work as when the measures cease, the epidemic will come back!
So we are waiting for a vaccine (12-18 months) or antivirals (unknown timescale). What ever happens lots of people over 60 will die.

So our option is prayer... Perhaps shutting down the higher forms of prayer are not such a good idea after all.

I have a vision - everyone bouncing in bubble suits like the fame bubble boy. Serious, is not GOD powerful enough to over come all this through serious prayer by ALL?

That God can overpower Satan, I have no doubt---my doubt is whether He can overpower the Bishops. (Sometimes I think that Satan has sold his soul to the USCCB.)

From the document itself:



Please read this Order carefully. Violation of or failure to comply with this Order is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both. (California Health and Safety Code § 120295, et seq.)

and

All travel, including, but not limited to, travel on foot, bicycle, scooter, motorcycle, automobile, or public transit, except Essential Travel and Essential Activities as defined below in Section 10, is prohibited.

So, I'm not engaging in hyperbole.

I think it’s time for discussions about the implications for our future liturgical music landscape. What are your contingency plans?

When we go back, I get a few singers and we start again. I am salaried and could work 1 or 50 hours and it would make no difference. I'm not there for the money to begin with. Whatever happens, give me a few days and I will be back in business. Others may not be so fortunate.

Well Charles, I'm happy you can earn an income without working but others depend on their church salaries. How long do you think parishes can remain closed, which means not have weeking envelope offerings coming in, before they begin laying off staff? I hope those who think this crisis is an overblown hoax are correct, but fear they are being delusional. Conversations with my family members in the medical profession leave me deeply concerned.

It's helpful to know exactly what "the document" refers to: the counties have been reacting one by one. To be sure, you did specify 'the center of the California' in the first place.

Conversations with my family members in the medical profession leave me deeply concerned.

I have had those same discussions with medical people and a chorister who has a relative at CDC is relaying the same concerns to us. So who knows. I, too, am deeply concerned.

I have make jokes about the priests looking under the pews for loose change that parishioners have dropped, but I hope it doesn't come to that. However, I fully realize many parishes are just a few weeks from insolvency.

Well Charles, I'm happy you can earn an income without working but others depend on their church salaries.

I realize many musicians do need their salaries and it would be a real hardship if they were not paid. In my case, I take the money because it would be insulting if the parish gave me nothing. I am greatly blessed that I don't need the money, give a significant portion of my salary back, and can work through and around anything that comes up. Given the worst scenario, I think I can have parish music up and running in a very short time when the virus subsides. As I often say, thanks be to God.